A draft letter asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Roger Clemens made false statements to Congress has been written by House staffers, the New York Times reported Monday, citing three unidentified lawyers familiar with the matter. The chief of staff for committee chairman Henry Waxman said no decision has been made on whether to ask for a criminal investigation.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held the Feb. 13 hearing at which personal trainer Brian McNamee repeated his allegations that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone – and Clemens repeated his denials. Both men spoke under oath during depositions and at the hearing.

Waxman’s chief of staff, Phil Schiliro, wrote in an e-mail: “We are continuing our review and it is possible a decision will be announced this week.”

• The Tampa Bay Rays have had internal discussions about the prospect of pursuing Barry Bonds. Manager Joe Maddon said he knew “little” about what was going on, but acknowledged some thought has been given to the career home run leader.

“A minor discussion was thrown out there a little bit, and it’s really not gone any further than that,” Maddon said.

St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa had interest in signing the former Giant the past two off-seasons, but each time the team’s front office decided against it. La Russa, who was looking to protect Albert Pujols in the lineup, said he was told the asking price for Bonds was too high. This winter, La Russa said he dropped the issue after a discussion with new General Manager John Mozeliak.

“It became moot as soon as I raised it and they said no,” La Russa said Sunday. “Once it became apparent what the price tag was, I said we just can’t, it doesn’t make sense for our club.”

• Minnesota pitcher Francisco Liriano said he received his U.S. visa and was preparing to travel to spring training in Florida. The Dominican left-hander had a delay in obtaining the visa because of a Florida drunken-driving plea and missed the team’s Feb. 18 voluntary reporting date for pitchers and catchers in Fort Myers, Fla.

• Jeff Francis was named the opening-day starter for the Colorado Rockies. The left-hander was 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA last year.

• Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge had successful surgery on his right knee, and is expected to miss three to six weeks.

• Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa traveled to Chicago to see a cardiologist after being hospitalized for a rapid heartbeat during fielding drills over the weekend. The Cubs said DeRosa’s irregular heartbeat was not life-threatening. DeRosa said he hoped he could be back on the field next week.

• The Boston Red Sox came to terms on a minor league contract with pitcher Bartolo Colon. The 34-year-old right-hander won the American League Cy Young Award in 2005, but the past two seasons struggled with shoulder and elbow injuries and was a combined 7-13 with a 5.72 ERA for the Los Angeles Angels.